An Italian-American living la dolce vita in the Deep South

Monday, July 28, 2014

Road Trip, Day Two: Check it Out

I have a nephew who is a pint-size bundle of energy who calls
me Dan Marino (that’s what it sounds like when he says Aunt Maria). During our
recent beach vacation we would sit together on the porch and he would say, “Look
Dan Marino. A boat! Check it out!” Then he would ball up his fists and hold them
in front of his eyes like binoculars.

Check it out … that’s what today was like.

Checking out the Frontier Museum,
Independence, MO

First up on Joe’s itinerary was Independence, MO where we
saw the home of President Truman, visited the Frontier Museum (Independence was
one of the last stop for provisions before embarking on either the Santa Fe
Trail or the Oregon Trail), and got a private tour of the original train depot
of Independence.

Also on Joe’s list was this cryptic entry: Lunch at Café` V. As it turned out, Café`
V was shorthand for Café Verona, and he had been saving this place as a surprise
for me. Thoughtful, yes? We had a lovely lunch sitting outside in a beautiful, brick
courtyard … a little Veronese dining experience in the heart of Independence,
MO.﻿﻿﻿﻿

Joe's surprise: Café Verona!

Dining al fresco in the courtyard.

Later in the afternoon we drove to Kansas City and checked
into the Residence Inn where we will be staying the rest of the week. And now it’s
almost bedtime … I think. It’s hard to know the exact time because one of the
watches I brought (and I only brought two!) doesn’t work anymore. It was a
digital sports watch, not particularly stylish, but perfect for swimming,
working out, or sightseeing. The only problem was at 2:30 in the morning the alarm
would beep. The last vacation we went on I would roll it up in a towel every
night so we wouldn’t hear it, but this time Joe wasn’t having any of that. So
last night Mr. Engineer pushed this, pushed that, and somehow managed to shut
the whole thing down. No alarm, but no time, either. Blank screen, and I haven’t
been able to undo what he did.

Two watches down to one … I definitely under packed.

Check out the time.

That’s it for tonight. Tomorrow we’re taking pity on
Timothy; after a day immersed in history we’re taking a break with the LEGOLAND
Discovery Center in the morning and Jesse James’ farmhouse in the afternoon.
Legos and outlaws … it should work.

About Me

Benvenuti!

This is where I write about family, faith, and all things Italian; it’s a blend of frothy cappuccinos, Michelangelo, light sabers, Sunday dinners with i Nonni, and every Christmas ... 700 homemade tortellini.

There are also lots of stories about my Nonna.

The Summer of 2015 I organized a Girls' Trip to Italy. There were 23 of us. Enough said.